Avenged Sevenfold Headliner w/Operator, Black Tide, and Confession

11-27-07

New Orleans, LA

House of Blues

Everything happens for a reason. Tuesday arrived and I was ready begin Mission Operator for the Operator Street Team. This involved arriving at the venue early to pass out promotional stickers and download cards to the fans in line and to place promotional posters in the surrounding area. I had received the package including the street team t-shirt. Snafu 1, the posters didn't arrive which was a shame as the French Quarter is an amazing walking district with businesses and store fronts that were perfect for this type of promotion. Snafu 2, my friend Roxanne who was supposed to go was unable to at the last minute. Being the hard-headed-die-hard-Operator-fan-that-I-am… I was going to go anyway. So I booked it over to New Orleans solo with the complete look of a soldier on a mission, including camouflage pants with cargo pockets stuffed with 500 d/l cards and 200 stickers. I was doing my best to not carry a purse. Only for Operator would I sacrifice all of my hard work in the last year on the treadmill only to find myself willingly strapping on 10+ pounds of Operator gear for the cause :)

I arrived at the venue around 1:30 and there were already about 30 fans in line, including two dead-serious Avenged Sevenfold fans, mind you they were female rockers to the bone, who actually camped out overnight in sleeping bags despite the temperature being in the mid-40's overnight. They made quick friends with everyone and had even seen Paul earlier and made a photo with him.  I made my contact call and got a timetable sorted out. Then I was off to promote. I headed up Canal Street. If you have ever been to New Orleans, it's unlike any other city anywhere. It also isn't the same city it was before Katrina, but they are coming back. I stopped at quite a few stores and businesses that seemed to draw rock fans, etc.  I made my way down Decatur, Canal, Royal, Bourbon, and St. Peter Streets, hitting tobacco stores, liquor stores, eateries, and the ever-popular Daiquiri/Margarita shop on every street corner, I stopped counting after 20 *adult beverage centers*. The FQ is an eclectic area with Mardi Gras stores, etc. I hit them up with some cards and stickers promoting the show at House of Blues. I had to skip the strip clubs though, lol, I figured anyone who had plans to visit there had other things they preferred to do on a Tuesday night besides going to a rock show :)

I get back to the venue after covering the area and meet up with their tour manager to get the flyers advertising the meet and greet after the show. I had already given out materials to those who were in line, so I continued where I left off. By then there were about 100 more people in line. The Avenged fans are some very serious fans; they were dressed out in their merchandise upon arrival. The doors didn't open until 5:30, yet by 3:00, the line was huge. They wanted front row, no doubt about it and waiting in line was part of their ritual they did without the first complaint. They opened the alley entrance at 4:00 and by then, the alley was filled and the line stretched down the street to the corner. In all I passed out 350 d/l cards and all but 50 stickers I was going to take inside along with the rest of the flyers.

So I am waiting by will call to get my pass. I had already bought a ticket. I always believe putting my money where my mouth is and support the band and buy a ticket. But I had to have the pass so I had to wait for the list to get over to the box office window. It's getting to be 5:15 and the doors are going to open. I don't panic except for the fact that I am short. It doesn't make for a good show for short people. But everything happens for a reason.

These two couples with kids approach the window. One couple buys 5 tickets. The next gentleman goes up to buy 3; they have one teenager with them. The clerk said I have two, and then it is sold out. He explains, I only need one more ticket, she said there aren't anymore, you'll have to find someone in line with an extra ticket. They are talking over their dilemma, and I said, excuse me… If you want to wait till the guest list comes out, I'll have an extra ticket, as a friend of mine wasn't able to make it. Roxanne had bought her ticket already as well, but as part of doing the street team promotion; you received 2 tickets as well. Needless to say the gentleman and his wife were very grateful. But not near as grateful as their teenager. He was such a nice kid and a huge Avenged fan. He couldn't believe his luck. He went from being down to ecstatic in about 10 seconds flat. So while we are waiting, we all talk about Avenged and Operator, my other fansite and the kids goes crazy again. He didn't know one of Operator's guitarists was Paul Phillips who played on Blurry, one of his favorite songs along with She Hates Me. You had to be there, I was so excited for this guy, who was so polite and friendly I have to add.

We finally get the tickets and I get my pass and I go in. The floor is full to capacity and I go up to the balcony. There is a two-tiered balcony; the lower part is for Foundation Room Members, which they pay $2,500 bucks a year for the privilege for those seats. So I take my chances and I speak to a woman from HOB. They take their job very seriously watching that area to protect their club members. She sees that I have a HOB photo pass as well and I ask if I can step to the lower balcony for just that band and she said sure. She was great! So I watched Black Tide and Confession, I had an ok view from the upper balcony, but not my primo spot I am used to, I love front and center on the rail, it's the only way. So it's Operator's set and she motions for me to come on down, it was like being on the Price is Right, come on down you're the next contestant… It was kind of like my karma coming back to me for the ticket, or at least I hoped it was something along those lines.

Operator opened with the Guns N Roses cover, sorry the name of the song I can't recall. Partial setlist not in order, Soulcrusher, What You Get, Good Enough, Live Your Way, Nothing To Lose and the Pantera cover Walk. When they started Soulcrusher, many of the fans recognized the song and the crowd went wild. They had a great reception from the fans from the very first song. They have a new backdrop, it's the album cover and a cool, new light show. It's spooky the way it lights up during certain parts of the set. Operator already had a dramatic set but now it is even more intense and really gets the vibe going. Johnny was super strong on vocals, strange how strong is always one of the first adjectives used to describe him, but that single word sums it up if I had to narrow it down to one word.  He worked the audience from both ends of the stage. He's not an actor who can sing, he is a singer who can act. DP was crashing the drumkit, the tech having to run out and fix the equipment without regard to endangering himself. He just jumps over the gear and is back out. It takes a good eye to spot something fixing to go awry and hats off to the drum tech! Wade was on Paul's side of the stage for this performance. It is already a small setup, but with 4 bands going on, everything is really pushed to the front. Paul and Wade make a good team on the same side, they were back to back wailing away on the guitar and bass and it made for some spectacular moments from the fans perspective.  Paul's experience on stage is something I've seen for a lot of years, yet he is never the same, its not old and stagnant. He always brings his top game whether he's doing it for the first time or the 1,000^th time. Be sure to check out Wade's honest to goodness mohawk. Not a faux-hawk, it's the real deal, long on the top, not much on the sides, it really suits him :)  Ricki Lixx… the one and only… the dude should have had a 2-foot high pile of cheese sitting at his feet by the time he was finished with his shredding guitar solo near the end of the set. It was amazing. He was lost in it; I don't think he could see or hear anything outside of his 2-foot radius; he was sucked into that black hole of riff magic. 

I got some pics, not the same as I get when I am up front, but a few cool ones. The light show really confused my camera. I'm limited to posting and sharing, I signed a contract with the House of Blues, well worth it though, as an archivist, I like preserving the moment of events I go to.

So I leave my spot on the balcony and I am sure to thank the HOB lady and give her a nice hug in appreciation.

After the show I go over to the merchandise booth. I had already met Brian when I first went in. Be sure to say hi to him and drop a buck or two into his tip cup (man… I was so bummed I forgot to drop one in before I left, I really meant to, sorry Brian!). His cup and sign taped to the merch table was hilarious, "Need money for karate lessons, Ninja's kidnapped my family." What a riot lol. He worked the merch booth with enthusiasm selling CD's, t-shirts, etc. He's such a friendly guy and he happens to be Ricki's brother. The gentleman I gave the ticket to came by Operator's merch booth and bought a t-shirt and CD :)

Avenged came on stage and I watched via the monitor, they really turned the volume up. Everyone enjoyed their show. The kid from earlier came by Operator's booth while his parents were watching the show. Paul had came out and we did our greets and he was off to checkout Avenged from the balcony.  I pointed the fan in his direction, but he missed Paul, he couldn't get through the crowd quick enough. His disappointment didn't last long though, Paul was soon back and Ricki had gotten there as well to do their meet and greet at the table. The fan was so excited, he must have shaken Paul and Ricki's hand over and over, he was genuinely thrilled to have met them. They signed his sticker and soon DP and Wade were there too. The other couple's sons came and each bought a CD and they got them signed by the band. It really was that fan's lucky day as he ended up with a CD as well. The band finished up signing things for fans that had come over. The HOB herds everyone out pretty quick and soon most of the audience was gone.

I got my hellos and hugs in all around after everyone had left. We had a nice time talking about the tour and the band, etc. Everyone was top notch as always. It was great catching up with everyone, speak up if you get a chance and they appreciate all of their fans, the old ones, new ones and people just finding out who they are. If you get a chance be sure to check them out, buy their CD, maybe a t-shirt or two. Everyone in their camp, from the tour manager to the crew work very hard to make sure everything runs according to plan. Thanks everyone, especially Mike. And DP it's always nice talking to you, you might be the new guy but it's like you have been in the band since Day 1.

My last highlight of the night, and I have to say for sentimental reasons it's like putting another piece into the puzzle of who I have become and getting the brass ring. I was a fan who didn't know they were a fan until one person's small part played a big roll in my journey over the last 7 years. If that one thing changed, I don't know that I would be in the same place I am now, a self-taught-out-of-necessity Internet geek, who found I love writing about music bands as a replacement for something else. I've always believed circumstance and coincidence will put you where you are supposed to be in life. You will meet whom you are supposed to meet, be touched by those you are supposed to be touched by. And I am very sincere in saying, it was an honor and a pleasure to meet Danny Wimmer, who unbeknownst to himself at the time, played a major part in who I am today. I feel blessed I was able to convey my appreciation after all this time. Thanks :)